Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Kasich Out-Yeltsins Walker

Ohio Governor John Kasich, using the same Koch-authored playbook as Wisconsin's Scott Walker, has proposed a budget which deeply cuts aid to cities and privatizes state assets.

Although Scott Walker wants to sell off state-owned power plants with no-bid contracts, much like Boris Yeltsin did with Russia's energy assets, at least he hasn't proposed privatizing Wisconsin's prisons. Yet.

14 comments:

Anonymous1 said...

Kasich is just proving that, after all, some Buckeyes are nuts.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

..."Koch-authored playbook"...

I thought you were at least smart enough to spell Halliburton.

Ordinary Jill said...

So, Deekaman, you don't believe that Americans for Prosperity has provided the draft legislation that has been the core of recent legislative efforts in both Wisconsin and Ohio? I don't think they are even denying it.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

Never claimed they didn't. To make the Koch Brothers some kind of "Halliburton-Lite" (the whole Halliburton boogeyman being absurd anyway) is just absurd. Interests on both sides help write legislation all the time. You really think the EPA writes their own regulations without input from Sierra Club? Or even Earth First!. Or that Solis isn't real close with Trumka.

Seriously.

Ordinary Jill said...

Deekaman, Kasich is working from draft legislation written by AFP (a Koch-funded and directed political organization). I think "Koch-authored playbook" is a reasonable short-hand for "draft legislation provided by the Koch Brothers' Americans for Prosperity organization". Clearly, though, I need to show my work so that all of my readers can follow along.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

You either did not read or did not understand my previous posts, so I will use small words.

ALL folks voted in use other folks who think like they do to help write laws. That means that your side uses their friends from the AFL/CIO to help make Labor laws and friends who think we should freeze in the dark to write laws for EPA. My side does the same thing using folks who think like we do.

Are those words small enough? Or do I need to try one more time?

Anonymous said...

It never ceases to amaze me that some people are willing to visit another's site and smart mouth the author. While simultaneously using the threat of censorship to avoid the same on their own blog.

"Comment moderation has been enabled. All comments must be approved by the blog author

Dan said...

I have no problem with Wisconsin selling the power plants. It really isn't the job of the state to run it's electric company.
And the reason why Kasich is proposing the cuts is that Ohio just doesn't have the money, just like almost the rest of the country.

Ordinary Jill said...

Deekaman, you're going to have to explain your comment about Halliburton, then, because I never mentioned Halliburton in my post (nor was I intending to refer to them). I thought you were accusing me of "vast, right-wing conspiracy" rhetoric, so I simply explained my use of the term "Koch-authored playbook." You don't have to agree, but you aren't doing a very good job of refuting a single thing I said in my post or subsequent comments.

Ordinary Jill said...

Dan, Ohio (and the rest of the country) would have more money if the Plutocrats didn't keep pushing through tax cuts on corporations and the wealthiest segment of the population. Some cuts are necessary, but they seem to be targeted at the poor, elderly and disabled.

You're kidding yourself if you think that any of the current crop of Republican policies are going to benefit a middle class worker like yourself. Those spending cuts will not find their way into your pocket; they'll be siphoned off by the wealthy and connected. If they hold down your property taxes but force you to pay for services that the city now provides, they aren't saving any of your money.

If the state wants to sell its power plants, let it go through a proper request for bids and get full value for those assets rather than cut a sweet backroom deal with a campaign contributor.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

Koch is the new Halliburton. You remember them? The Bush-Cheney-Rove-Halliburton-Iraq-Big Oil conspiracy, right?

Now it's the Racist-Walker-TEAbagger-Koch Brothers-AFP conspiracy.

I'm certain it's because Halliburton is too hard for thugs to spell.

(Those power plants are just about worthless on the open market. They are lucky to get anything for them. This coming from someone who has been on the receiving end of a municipality-Denton, TX-trying to sell a power plant on the open market)

Ordinary Jill said...

Deekaman, Halliburton is profiting from the Iraq War. They are not involved in domestic economic policy. You're confusing two separate issues. Next time you go to a Tea Party rally, ask who paid for the permits, bottled water and buses to bring in attendees. Ask yourself what they are getting out of your support, and which of you is getting the better deal.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

They are not REALLY separate issues. First, there are few (evil) corporations out there able to take on the enormous task of rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq. Halliburton is one, Bechtel is another.

Who pays for transportation of Union members and assorted "volunteers" to protest in Madison? The involvement of Trumka and his AFL/CIO thugs as well as OFA are well documented and one only needed to stop at their websites to see proof. BTW, I paid for my own transportation and my own water, food, etc. at every event I have attended. So has everyone else I know. That doesn't mean there isn't Koch funding. I don't have a problem with it and frankly, have no problem with the union funding of protests. But let's be consistent here, eh?

I'm going to go miles off-topic here, but electrons cost next-to-nothing.

The point is that the Left is so obvious in their designation of "Bogieman of the Month". It's almost always an oil company and it is always someone who donates to Conservative causes. They are, by definition, evil. OTOH, GE, feeding at the public trough along with unions and the likes of bailed-out Wall-Streeters don't seem to get as much as a boo. Fannie and Freddie - corrupt as hell and really at the center of the housing debacle should have SCORES of Lefties out there screaming bloody murder, but instead, the bile is spewn at the likes of Koch. And where are the folks screaming,"NO BLOOD FOR OIL!" and busting up Starbucks storefronts and burning cars? Where are the calls for impeachment over an "illegal war" (actually, in y'all's eye, three of them). Since Obama became president, I no longer see "Give Peace a Chance" banners in front of homes. GITMO remains open and no one seems to be complaining. We've got one guy trying to get government spending under control and you guys bitch about Koch? Really?

To be a Leftist is to be a hypocrite on a very large scale. You can point to hypocrisy on the Right; I stipulate to that. But it takes a Lefty to fail to recognize the log in their own eye while crying about the mote in anothers.

Beer, Bicycles and the VRWC said...

You can read this and get some idea of how wrong you are or you can ignore it....or you can just claim it's nothing but the lies of the evil Koch Brothers. Take your pick.

http://kochfacts.com/response-to-ej.php